Should I Have Scarless Thyroid Surgery?

You found out that you need thyroid surgery. First, I'm sorry. Most of the time, learning that you need surgery comes at the worst possible time. Life is busy, life is hard, life is good... whatever it is, there is no "good" time to need thyroid surgery. Worse than that, the need for surgery usually implies that you have some other health concern that is ongoing. The scare of cancer is real, and really scary.

In the middle of all of that, you know that thyroid surgery usually leaves a scar. And that scar is obvious to everyone because it is in the middle of your neck. While it's not your highest priority, you really don't want to have to discuss your scary health history with every stranger. You want that to be private.

Could you have "scarless" thyroid surgery such as transoral endoscopic vestibular approach (TOETVA) thyroidectomy? Let's talk about 5 reasons you should consider it.

1- Scarless transoral thyroidectomy is an option for most patients. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, and UCSF demonstrated that a majority of patients are eligible.

2- Multiple studies have demonstrated that it is just as safe as traditional thyroid surgery.

3- Quality of life is slightly better than surgery done with a normal scar. Among 2000 patients who were able to choose, the quality of life was slightly better for those who chose scarless surgery 3 years after surgery.

4- The recovery is very similar to traditional surgery- but with less pain. While most surgeons and patients will tell you that it's more painful than normal surgery, this has actually been proven otherwise.

5- Voice outcomes of patients who have TOETVA are slightly better than with traditional surgery.

In other words, if you are thinking about "scarless" transoral thyroidectomy, you should consider it a bit more. Most patients are candidates, it is just as safe, quality of life may be better, you might have less pain, and your voice could sound better. And, at the Russell Center, we have done more than any other group in the United States. Let us know if you have questions.